Conquer the Fat Loss Code

A follow-up to Wendy's Chant's bestseller Crack the Fat Loss Code.

Last year, Wendy Chant told us how to work with our metabolisms in her New York Times bestselling book, Crack the Fat Loss Code. Chant, a certified personal trainer and body-builder who specializes in performance nutrition, is on a mission to help us all better understand the science of weight loss and weight management.

Now she's back with Conquer the Fat Loss Code, the follow-up that promises to help us quickly lose belly fat, reprogram our metabolisms and successfully lose weight once and for all. If you've read the previous title, then it's time to build on what you learned and continue conquering your weight loss goals.

Chant tells her readers, who she calls "code crackers," in Conquer the Fat Loss Code that one of the first steps is to stop recycle dieting, her definition for fad dieting. She reminds that if it's worthwhile, it's worth waiting for. That's how we treat our relationships, major purchases and careers, we tend to each detail until it's just right. So why don't we treat our health with this much care?

The concepts taught in Crack the Fat Loss Code translate well to the new book, and use those as building blocks to gain even more understanding of Chant's plan. It's still flexible, includes cheat days and allows you to choose with what intensity you'll exercise, but the bar has been raised.

Phase I is a refresher course from Crack the Fat Loss Code.

In Phase II Chant introduces you to the concepts of Conquer the Fat Loss Code, to help you advance your fat loss, which includes even more guidance on meal planning and outsmarting your metabolism.

In Phase III she addresses a couple of concerns of all dieters, flexibility and maintenance. You'll learn how to navigate events, holidays, vacations and more. You'll also learn how to react when you have an off day.

Finally, Phase IV is a mini cookbook full of recipes that perfectly complement the meal plans.

The trick to tricking your metabolism, according to Chant, is in the code, 72/48. She says your body is on a cycle to take stock of its energy sources every 72 hours, and salvage what it can (aka store fat). Then, every 48 hours your body analyzes its expended energy and calculates what it needs to keep functioning. This cycle is constantly trying to strike a balance between supply and demand.

This is why Crack the Fat-Loss Code teaches an eating plan called "macro-patterning." It is a simple routine of alternating carb-up, carb-down, baseline and cheat days.

Fat-Loss Code helps burn fat by putting you on a low-carb eating plan for the first seven days of the program. During this phase, the body reaches into the glycogen stores (where fat is stored) and uses that for energy. This phase is followed by three other cycles where carbohydrates are gradually added back into your body so that your body won’t kick into starvation mode, which forces our bodies to hold on to fat and calories for dear life! Then you follow the schedule outlined in the book for alternating between days.

Some of the recipes you can look forward to include:

Rolled Egg White Omelet with Mushrooms

Super-Healthy Pancakes

Cinnamon Roll Smoothie

Italian Roasted Pepper Soup

Ballyhoo Zucchini

Chicken Cacciatore

On both plans you'll enjoy built-in cheat days so you can enjoy your favorite foods without feeling guilty or deprived. The plan also does not have a strict list of forbidden foods once you've completed the early cycles.

EXERCISE

In Conquer the Fat Loss Code, Chant promotes the idea of minimal exercise for maximum results. This really is a food-focused plan, however, that doesn't mean fitness is ignored. Chant credits the thermogenic effects of exercise with helping to create an energy deficiency in the body so that you're tapping energy reserves, as well as increasing metabolism.

Chant recommends using cardiovascular and weight or resistance training in a regular schedule, but only after Cycle One or the Carb-Deplete cycle. She does not provide a specific schedule for working out, leaving that to you to determine the frequency and intensity. It's recommended that you do a cardio session after a weight or resistance session as this will force the body to use its fat reserves for energy.

Other fitness tips offered to help you Conquer the Fat Loss Code include:

Never go more than 48 hours without exercising

Mix-up your workout at least every 10 days

Rest at least once a week

Don't combine cardio and resistance

Do cardio in the early morning before eating

Weight train at least two times each week

Keep weight training sessions to no more than an hour

Chant says to "get the wiggles every hour," and by this she means move! Even if it's just five minutes to stretch, walk to the mailbox or to a colleague's desk or to take the dog outside. Make sure you're not sedentary for hours on end, as this is what helps slow the metabolism and stave-off weight loss.

Diagrams of basic exercise motions are included toward the end of the book. If you are this new to working out, it might serve you well to take just a couple of sessions with a trainer to ensure you're using proper technique and not extending yourself beyond your capabilities.

CONCLUSION

With all the diet and weight loss books cluttering our bookstore shelves, sometimes it's hard to sort the right ideas from the less than great. Wendy Chant, author of bestselling Crack the Fat Loss Code, introduces her follow-up title Conquer the Fat Loss Code, and relies on a lot of research and scientific evidence to support her weight loss perspective. These titles definitely stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.

It's worth taking the time to read Crack the Fat Loss Code before delving into Conquer, as it will lay the foundation for the principles explained in the new book. The diet and nutrition aspects of Chant's plan is the primary focus, but does not fail to advise a regular and consistent fitness regimen, making this a balanced approach to not only weight loss, but life-long weight management.

User Feedback

(Page 1 of 1, 2 total comments)

Eileen

Will fallling off the proverbial Crack the Fat Loss Code wagon sabotage the whole diet? Wendy maintains that you cannot deplete your glycogen levels more than three times a year. That works out to every four months. Can i restart the Carb Deplete cycle after four months if I 'm not seeing any results? Love the book and the diet by the way and am seeing moderate results but I just can't give up the after dinner glasses of wine.

posted Dec 31st, 2011 10:55 pm

AJ

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This was my first week on the diet, and at the end of the week I started out .2 pounds heavier! I may just be one of those strange body types that don't fit into this 72/48 hour rule. I ONLY lost weight on low carb days - which I know from past experience works for me. So that is what I will stick to.

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